It's either Fortune or Fame.

I went down to Sacramento, Ca recently to attend a Tim Bluhm and The Pendry Brothers show. Featuring Chico, Ca Rock and Roll alumni Tim Bluhm (Mother Hips), Mike Waltz (Electric Circus), John Lapado (Near Death Excretion, Lonesome Cowboys etc..) and Frank and Nate Pendry, the show was held at a dinner/bar called The Distillery. We arrived at 5pm and were told that we couldn't bring the equipment into the restaurant till 9pm. The ensuing four hours were spent getting grub and hanging out in the parking lot across the street. As I watched the band practice tunes, try out new songs and keep morale up, I realized that much of a bands life is spent waiting around for the show to start.

Now for those of you out of the West Coast loop, and stuck on the East Coast, I gotta say that while your jamband scene is infinitely more organized (a tip of the hat to Dean and crew), the West Coast Posse is gearing up. Led by Tim Bluhm's real band, The Mother Hips, there's an explosion about to blow, and I'll keep you posted as the summer closes.

Once we got inside to lug the equipment around, it was another couple of hours waiting for the opening band to finish up their affairs. Featuring Sacramento alumni rockstars from Kai Kln, Okra Pickles and Tattooed Love Dogs, the band called Los Hermanos got the locals whistling and stamping their feet. Another realization crossed my mind as I pondered that it is infinitely better to watch your friends play music than a bunch of guys that aren't in your scene. I mean if you have a room of Widespread Panic fans together watching their favorite band, it beats the pants off seeing someone you don't know with people whose name you never forgot, because you never knew.

Once Tim and friends took the stage, I watched as the room settled in and groove as Mr. Bluhm crooned in his well-worn voice and natural cadence. At one point I stepped behind the speakers to get the band drinks. It was at this moment that it dawned on me that although the sound in the rest of the room was sweet and melodic, the sound the band heard was cacophonic and hectic. When I asked Mike Waltz, how he could keep playing when he couldn't hear what was going on he said, "You learn to trust the other players and keep going." As the evening wore on it was obvious that being in a band wasn't as luxurious as it's made out to be.

I gained a new respect for our local yokels that night. What it reaffirmed for me was that while it may be titillating to read about "big names," it is really a disservice to those that work so hard to keep your local music scene alive. I mean who really cares what some "rock star" says or doesn't say, it is infinitely more interesting to get involved with those in your community that have given so much over the years to play their music. As I have been doing for a decade, I urge you to see local bands, buy their CD's, join their mailing lists and become fans. If your local jamband gets in the limelight with the rest of the world, at that point it will be obvious who stood by them during the early times, and who opted for following the corporate machine.

Also, I encourage all jambands to get in touch with me as I am planning the biggest party in Northern California next April 5-8, 2001. Everyone is welcome. Contact me at DNA@shocking.com